FEM simulation of the failure of reinforced sand slopes subjected to footing load

摘要

ABSTRACT: The results from a series of laboratory model tests on unreinforced sand slopes andnthose reinforced with reinforcing strips that were brought to bearing capacity failure by vertical andncentral loading using a rigid strip footing placed on the slope crest were simulated numerically by thenFEM. In the FEManalysis, the effects of the following factors were taken into account: (a) confiningnpressure; (b) anisotropy; (c) non-linear pre-peak strain-hardening and strain-softening; (d) dilatancy;nand (e) strain localisation into a shear band or bands having a thickness in proportional to thenparticle size. The FEM simulation for both unreinforced and reinforced sand slopes was generally inngood agreement with the physical experimental results with respect to the load–settlement relation-nships, the strain fields showing failure modes, and the distributions of reinforcement tensile force fornthe different reinforcement arrangements examined. The stress fields from the FEM analysis are alsonpresented.